Agitos Foundation launches ‘Elige tu meta’ campaign

Para sports are the driving force behind a campaign set in motion in five Latin American countries to promote the inclusion of people with impairments in society. “En sus marcas, listos… Inclusion. Elige tu meta” (English: Ready, set… Inclusion. Choose your goal) was simultaneously launched on Monday (17 September) in Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Peru.

The campaign challenges people to set their own goals inspired by the achievements of Para athletes. This way, Elige tu meta aims to break down prejudices and barriers in order to improve participation and opportunities to persons with disabilities.

En sus marcas, listos… Inclusion. Elige tu meta was created by the Agitos Foundation in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Colombian Presidential Agency for International Cooperation (APC-Colombia) and the Colombian Administrative Department of Sport, Recreation, Physical Activity an Effective use of Leisure Time (Coldeportes).

The National Paralympic Committees of the five countries involved will be able to use the material produced for the campaign to engage with local authorities, the private sector and the general public. It also targets persons with an impairment who currently do not have access to sport.

"Sport is one of the most powerful tools for the social and economic inclusion of people with disabilities. The society takes pride in the athletes who represent their countries and they inspire society with their performances. The campaign promotes the access of more people with an impairment to sports to impact their lives and change perceptions of disability in the countries involved.”

Ernesto Lucena Barrero, Coldeportes Director said:

“I want to thank the Inter-American Development Bank, the Agitos Foundation, the APC and the the National Disability Commissions for this great project. For us, it represents a pledge for inclusion in sports. It is an honour for Colombia and for Colombian sports that sport is treated as one, so the inclusion is real.”

A spokesperson for APC-Colombia said:

“APC-Colombia wishes to highlight the role of cooperation to promote campaigns such as En sus marcas, listo… Inclusion. Elige tu meta. It demonstrates the great value of people with disabilities in sports and in the workplace, promoting awareness in civil society, accessibility and generating spaces of inclusion. "